Definition of Hortatory Exposition

Hortatory exposition is a text which represents the attempt of the writer to have the addressee do
something or act in a certain way.

Generic Structure of Hortatory Exposition

1. Thesis
2. Arguments
3. Recommendation

Language Feature of Hortatory Exposition

1. Focusing on the writer
2. Using abstract noun; policy, advantage, etc
3. Using action verb
4. Using thinking verb
5. Using modal adverb; certainly, surely, etc
6. Using temporal connective; firstly, secondly, etc
7. Using evaluative words; important, valuable, trustworthy, etc
8. Using passive voice
9. Using simple present tense

Text Example:

Human Rights for All

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of
residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all
equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated,
interdependent and indivisible.

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties,
customary international law , general principles and other sources of international law.
International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to
refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental
freedoms of individuals or groups.

It has been over 50 years since the United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights
was signed by most governments in the world and yet the abuses continue to grow.

Freedom of Speech and Human Rights are taken for granted in the west, but recent years have
seen conditions deteriorate around the world. As early as 1997 for example, Human Rights
conditions were reported to remain unchanged compared to previous years, or in some countries,
actually worsen, around the world. In 1998 for example, the UN reported that even though over a
hundred governments had agreed to help outlaw some of the worse violations of rights, torture
was still on the increase.

As the “New World Order” marched on towards the new century it did not look as bright and
cheerful for most people as we would have imagined, or hoped, it to be.
With the war on terror triggered by the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11,
2001, the situation for human rights seems to have deteriorated, with not only terrorists
committing human rights violations, but also powerful governments who are sacrificing rights
for security. Amnesty International, in its 2004 report noted the set back for international values
of human rights:

Violence by armed groups and increasing violations by governments have combined to produce
the most sustained attack on human rights and international humanitarian law in 50 years. This
was leading to a world of growing mistrust, fear and division.

… Amnesty International strongly condemned armed groups responsible for atrocities

[representing] a significant new threat to international justice…. “But it is also frightening that
the principles of international law and the tools of multilateral action which could protect us
from these attacks are being undermined, marginalized or destroyed by powerful governments, ”
said Irene Khan [Secretary General of Amnesty International].

“Governments are losing their moral compass, sacrificing the global values of human rights in a
blind pursuit of security. This failure of leadership is a dangerous concession to armed groups.”

…The “war on terror” and the war in Iraq has encouraged a new wave of human rights abuse and
diverted attention from old ones … while many governments are openly pursuing repressive
agendas.

“While governments have been obsessed with the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,
they have allowed the real weapons of mass destruction—injustice and impunity, poverty,
discrimination and racism, the uncontrolled trade in small arms, violence against women and
abuse of children—to go unaddressed,” said Irene Khan.

— Report 2004: War on global values, Amnesty International, May 26, 2004

There are so many examples of various countries, corporations and institutions violating human
rights. Some are contributing to suppressing rights in other countries. Others are ignoring the
plight of people in other countries whose rights are denied due to their own economic and
political interests in those other countries.

Human rights include a variety of aspects, from civil and political rights, to socio-economic
rights. (Interestingly, as the Human Development Report 2000 from the United Nations points
out, during the Cold War, the rich western nations were arguing basically for civil and political
rights, while the socialist countries, and some developing countries, were demanding more social
and economic rights. Human rights then, was a propaganda tool with both sides using the same
words, but for different reasons.)

There are so many abuses that it would take too long to mention here.

What should United Nations do to solve this problem?

United Nations must be fair and firmly warn or punish any organization or country that violates
human rights. If UN don’t do it, human rights over the world won’t be exist for along time and
many people will be suffered.
materi referensi:
1. http://understandingtext.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-is-hortatory-exposition.html
2. http://tutorjunior.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/human-rights-for-all-another-example-of-
hortatory-exposition/

Should not Bring Mobile Phone to School; a Hortatory Text

Sample
Recently most people own mobile phone. Why does mobile phone user increase
dramatically in recent years? First, the feature and functions has increased. Mobile
phone is not used just for calling, but sending text, taking pictures, recording
videos, accessing internet, playing games and much more. Second, mobile phone
has also become a lot cheaper. Now this communication device does not only fill the
pocket of adult but also teenager and student. Even a lot phones are intentionally
designed to teenaged market. However should they be allowed to bring them to
school?
Many schools do not allow students to bring cell phones to school. It is very
reasonable because bringing phone to school potentially disrupts the learning
process. Most students use cell phones irresponsibly. They use cell phones to talk to
their friend during class time. They also use the calculator and camera features in
the class as well. Those potentially lead less concentration in the time of learning
and teaching process.
Students go to school to learn and behave fair way. Mobile phones provide a large
temptation to cheat in tests. They can communicate to anyone and almost
anywhere in the world. Because of the small size of the cell phone, students can
send a text quietly and discreetly. The text can go unnoticed anywhere to get help
on answering tests, homework, and other class assignment. Learning in school is to
behave fair not cheating.
Therefore, schools should ban students from bringing their cell phones. However it
should be done fairly. In case of an emergency some student need a call for help,
providing easy access to phone is better.

Hortatory Exposition
A Hortatory exposition is a type of spoken or written text that is intended to explain the listeners
or readers that something should or should not happen or be done. To strengthen the explanation,
the speaker or writer needs some arguments as the fundamental reasons of the given idea. In
other words, this kind of text can be called as argumentation. Hortatory exposition text can be
found in scientific books, journals, magazines, newspaper articles, academic speech or lectures,
research report etc. Hortatory expositions are popular among science, academic community and
educated people. The generic structure of Hortatory exposition usually has three components: (1)
Thesis, (2) Arguments and (3) Recommendation.

A.Generic Structure of Hortatory Exposition

1. Thesis : Statement or announcement of issue concern
2. Arguments : Reasons for concern that will lead to recommendation
3. Recommendation : Statement of what should or should not happen or be done based on the
given arguments

B.Generic Features of Hortatory Exposition

1.A Hortatory exposition focuses on generic human and non human participants, except for
speaker or writer referring to self.
2.It uses mental processes. It is used to state what the writer or speaker thinks or feels about
something. For example: realize, feel etc.
3.It often needs material processes. It is used to state what happens, e.g. ….has polluted… etc.
4.It usually uses Simple Present Tense and Present Perfect Tense.
5.Enumeration is sometimes necessary to show the list of given arguments: Firstly, secondly …,
Finally, etc.

Now read this text of Hortatory Exposition!

A Campaign of the Importance of Reading

Thesis:

Reading habit is poor among Indonesians because most people haven’t realized the importance
of reading

Argument 1

Reading is important to transform knowledge and technology. By reading, one knows the world.
He or she will understand what he doesn’t see by himself or herself. The lines of the paragraphs
in an article contain pieces of knowledge. The knowledge is needed to improve the quality of
human’s life. Technology transformation from other country can only be done by reading a lot
various sources of literature. Valuable books in libraries and bookstores mean nothing if they are
not read.

Argument 2

Realizing the importance of reading will make someone motivated to read. When we know that
something is very important because it can give us valuable information, we will try to get or do
the thing. For example, a businessman who always follows latest information or news, will know
what to do in his/ her business. He will make a good decision to make a transaction. Most people
in all developed countries have realized the importance or reading and they have good reading
habits. In bus and train stations, vehicles, waiting rooms, parks, people like reading. They enjoy
reading which gives them valuable knowledge and inspiration.

Argument 3
A good understanding toward the importance of reading can be achieved by well organized and
effective campaign. To plant an understanding in a generation’s minds is not an easy job. It
needs a hard work from all components of the nation, especially the government. A serious
campaign which is organized by the central and local government can help common people wake
up and stand to face the real competition. The campaign can be done through various kinds of
mass media such as TV, radio, booklets, bulletins, newspapers, magazines. It can also be
conducted by teachers, parents and all people who care.

Recommendation

Therefore, a nation-wide effective campaign of the importance of reading by all components of

the nation should be done, facilitated by the government, to face the tighter competition. The
world has forced globalization. Those people with little knowledge will be left behind. To speed
up the better change in this country, a good reading habit is really important.
Written by Cahyono KD

Read this text of Hortatory exposition!

Corruption
Thesis
(Announcement of issue concern)

Do you know what the meaning of corruption is? What is the relation between money and
corruption? Well, corruption is common everywhere in the world, even in the United States. It’s
just a matter of intensity. However, it is quite shocking when one reliable survey claims Jakarta
as the most corrupt place in Indonesia.

Argument 1

The survey has made me sad, actually, because I stay and earn a living here in the capital. As
most people know, Tanjung Priok port smuggling is not a new thing at all. Entrepreneurs who
want to minimize their tax payments tend to do such a thing more often. They even bribe the
officials.

Argument 2

Well, I think the measures taken so far to overcome the problem by punishing the corruptors is
still not far enough. We have to prevent the younger generations from getting a bad mentality
caused by corruption.

Recommendation

I believe we should start at the earliest stages in school and I think everyone should be involved
in the effort to eradicate corruption. We must not make any distinction.
Adapted from: The Jakarta Post, February 2005
To make it clear, please remember the concept of Hortatory exposition below:

HORTATORY EXPOSITION

Purpose : to persuade the readers or listeners that something should or should not be the case.

Text Organization
A thesis
Arguments
Recommendation

Language Features:
•The use of emotive words (e.g. worried, alarmed etc)
•The use of words that qualify statements (e.g. usual, probably etc)
•The use of words that link arguments (e.g. firstly, However, therefore etc)
•The use of compound and complex sentence
•The use of modals and adverbs (e.g. may, must, should, etc)
•The use of subjective opinions using pronouns I and we

Sources:
Cahyono, Kristiawan Dwi and Eka Purnama.2006. Communicative Competence 2B: A course in
Acquiring English Communicative Competence, For Senior High School Level, Grade XI
Semester 2. Jombang: CV Karunia Agung

Sudarwati and Eudia Grace.2007. Look Ahead: An English Course for Senior High School
Students Year XI, Science and Social Study Program. Jakarta: Erlangga
http://typeoftext.blogspot.com/2009/01/hortatory-exposition.html

Definition
Hortatory text is a text which represents an attempt on the part of the speaker to get the addressee
to do something or to act in a certain way.
Watch your Kids While Watching TV
Television becomes one of the most important devices which takes place in almost houses. It can
unite all members of the family as well as separate them. However, is it important to know what
your kids are watching? The answer is, of course, absolutely "Yes" and that should be done by
all parents. Television can expose things you have tried to protect the children from, especially
violence, pornography, consumerism and so on.
Recently, a study demonstrated that spending too much time on watching TV during the day or
at bedtime often cause bed-time disruption, stress, and short sleep duration.
Another research found that there is a significant relationship between the amount of time spent
for watching television during adolescence and early adulthood, and the possibility of being
aggressive.
Meanwhile, many studies have identified a relationship between kids who watch TV a lot and
being inactive and overweight.
Considering some facts mentioning above, protect your children with the following tips:
• Limit television viewing to one-two hours each day
 • Do not allow your children to have a TV set in their own bedrooms
• Review the rating of TV shows which your children watch
• Watch television with your children and discuss what is happening in the show

Notes on the Generic Structure of this Hortatory Exposition example

Firstly, we have to always remember that the social function of hortatory exposition text is
driving the readers to act like the writer thought as stated in the text. Then the purpose of this
hortatory is influencing and persuading the readers by presenting the supporting arguments. In
many social activities, hortatory is applied for writing recommended thought, sales letter,
advertising, speech campaign, and news advertorial.
Thesis: The writer's thought is presented as thesis which is proven with several arguments. In the
first paragraph, the writer points his thought about the importance of accompanying children
while they are watching TV show. It is important to protect the children from the bad influences
of TV show.
Arguments: The next paragraphs show the writer arguments in supporting his thesis. It is
supported by various researches that there are a great relationship between watching TV and the
watcher's personality. One study describes that much time in watching TV can cause bed-time
disruption. The others show the possibility of becoming an aggressive character because of
watching television too much.
Recommendation: After stating the thesis and proving with various arguments, the text is
completed with the writer's recommendation on how the parents should protect the children from
the bed effect of watching TV.
Basically, both hortatory and analytical exposition have the similar position. Both take place as
argumentative essays. Both show how important idea of the writer to be known. However the
last paragraph of the essay usually make the difference from hortatory and analytical exposition.
If it is a hortatory text, it will be ended with a strong recommendation while for analytical
exposition, it will be closed with restatement of the writer's first paragraph.

http://understandingtext.blogspot.com/2009/02/example-of-hortatory-
exposition-in.html